


What's in a Name

by gladsomemind



Category: Highlander: The Series
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-30
Updated: 2015-12-30
Packaged: 2018-05-10 12:11:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 865
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5584918
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gladsomemind/pseuds/gladsomemind
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>There's a new immortal in town and Joe wants to know what Methos knows about him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	What's in a Name

The bottle appearing on the table in front of him was a surprise; the chair being pulled out opposite less so (the sound of a cane being discernible even over the noise of the bar.)

“To what do I owe the pleasure?  Thought since the last time I was persona non grata.”  The mythical bar tab had always been that, mythical.  Methos had worked in or run too many bars to actually stiff the owner but it had always been behind Joe’s back, a wad of euro slipped to Maurice or an overly large tip to the waitress at the end of the night, paying his tab and still being generous in his appreciation of the service.   Mike had always been good for that, grousing loudly about the freeloading whilst making sure his glass remained filled.

Today, though, he was paying for his drinks as they were served; a curt ‘no credit’ enough to make the experience of drinking mildly unpleasant.  So a free beer was something of a shock.  Drinks unasked for and just presented did not require paying for.

“There’s a new player in town.  Given you’ve just arrived…”  So there weren’t going to be any pleasantries with this visit.  He really should find somewhere else to drink but it would be easier to avoid Seacouver and Paris altogether than to avoid Joe’s once he was there.

“I didn’t bring him.  I didn’t follow him.  He probably doesn’t even know that I exist.  Hell, I probably don’t know that he, it is a he?”  Methos raised an eyebrow getting a nod in return.  “I probably don’t know that he exists.  So what are you telling me for?  Aren’t you afraid I’ll use Watcher knowledge to forward my latest diabolical plan?”

Joe considered him for a moment.  Another opportunity to get over quite how large a disappointment Methos was to him.  “There’s a new player in town.  We have a name but don’t know who he is.  As you’ve just arrived **AND**  you know damn near every immortal out there I thought you might be able to link him to another name in the chronicles.  Give us an idea of what his presence might mean.”

Methos felt what might have been a pang of guilt but was more likely gas from the beer.  “What name have you got?”

“Keith Lombard.”

“Evil.”

***

Joe was shocked at the immediate response.  It wasn’t like Methos was the Grand Master of Rationalizations around the evil that man do.  If Methos was claiming evil at just the name this guy was going to have a jacket a foot thick.

“You’re sure?”  That got Joe another nod as the old man drained the bottle, pushed his chair back and collected his coat.

The sight of Methos leaving before last orders was pretty much as good a sign of an approaching apocalypse as you could ever wish to see.  That was enough to set Joe’s mind racing about ways he could surreptitiously warn McLeod and Amanda.

“What do you know about him?  Where else can I find him in the Chronicles?”  The questions cam e thick and fast but Methos was starting to look bemused.

“How the hell should I know?  I told you had nothing to do with any new psycho in town.”  Now the old man was starting to look affronted.

“You said he was evil!”  Joe found himself damn near squeaking and lowered his voice to attempt to keep it from travelling to the next occupied table.  “Where do you get that from if you don’t know him?”

The affronted look morphed into one of shock and disappointment, as if Joe had once again failed to recognise the stupidity of his words.  “Keith Lombard.  It’s all in the name isn’t it?”

Joe still wasn’t getting it and was feeling stupider by the moment.  He’d never heard the name before that afternoon.  Why it was supposed to mean something to him now he hadn’t a clue.

Methos was looking more and more annoyed.  “Kronos.  Kristin.  Kristov?  Kalas? Kurgon!  Hell, stick Kassandra on there for good measure.  I tell you nothing good comes from the K’s.  Paris is nice this time of year.  I’ll even treat you to dinner somewhere fancy.”

Joe could only look on in astonishment.  This panic attack was over ‘Keith’?  The fact that he was hard pushed to come up with a sane K off the top of his head had nothing to do with anything.  There were only so many immortals with profiles high enough to be known to the Watcher masses.  There was plenty of evil to be had elsewhere in the alphabet.

Methos was gone though.  And with Joe only a single beer out of pocket.

***

FOUR ALARMS AT DOWNTOWN BAR

A fight in the car park of a local blues bar got out of control when a junction box was hit causing a 20 block blackout and a fire to break out.  Fire crews managed to contain the blaze to the bar’s storeroom and owner’s apartment.  No-one was hurt.  A local resident was quoted as saying that it was evil what the gangs were getting up to these days.  Investigations are ongoing.

**Author's Note:**

> C's are generally good. But K's seem to be evil!


End file.
